James t



(No Model.) J. T. MG'CABB.

DOOR HANGER.

Patented Feb. .26, 1895.

Inventor,

Jae's T- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES T. MoOABE, on NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE MooABE MANUFACTURING COMPANY.

DoOR HANGER.

dated February 26, 1895v Application filed August 25, 18 94. Serial No. 521,317- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES T. McOABE, a

citizen of the United States of America, re-

county, and State of New.

siding in the cit York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hangers for Sliding Doors, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a traveling hanger, primarily designed for doors, but possessing features which are applicable as well to hangers by which other objects besides doors are suspended and carried along. They might be applied, for example, in telpher systems. The novel features are the form of the tubular track, the location and construction of its supports, the spherical roller, the adjustable character of its journal,

and the manner of attachment to the door. These several featuresare shown embodied in the following specific construction, which is applied to a door constructed to slide into a pocket in the wall; but it is obvious that they can be otherwise applied. a

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, Figure 1 shows my invention applied to a parlor door, a portion of the doorcasing being broken. away. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the axes of the roller and hanging strap, showing the mode of attachment to the door. Part of the roller is shown in elevation. Fig, 3 isaverticalcross section through the tubular track, and through one of its supportingbrackets. Fig.4isa perspective view of the hanging strap, its roller, and an upper corner of the door. 5 is a perspective View of a portion of the tubular track, and one of its supports. Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views of a modification.

The tubular track T consists of a piece of sheet metal bent into a tubular form, but the two edges instead of meeting are turned outward at right angles to the adjoining surface of the tube. This brings the flangesfradial to the tube since the tube is circular. As the roller of the hanger in traveling through the tube bears its weight against the tubular track along the edges or ways 20 w, it is therefore to these parts or ways of the tube that the flanges should be made perpendicular, or nearly so, so as to stiffen the tube and assist in sustaining the load. As the flanges are turned outward and downward, and the slot in the tube is on the under side, no water or di'rt'can be trapped in the tube.

The track T is held in place by suitable supports which are fastened to the under side of a part of the beam or spreader B which forms a part of the doorway. Each of these supports consists essentially of a nut N and screw S; but in order to strengthen the tube where the screw passes through, it is partially encircled by a collar 0, provided with a boss 0 which steadies the shank ot the screw and into which its head is recessed. The height of the spreader B above the door jamb and the top of the door varies considerably in different constructions. This is provided for in the adjustment, but instead of providing it all by length of screw, it is obtained in part by rece'ssing the nut on one side in order that it may receive the boss C to permit the tube to more nearly approach the jamb and offsetting the flange by which it is attached thus dishing it. If the spreader is close down to the jamb the former is recessed to receive the nut and itis fastened as shown in Fig. 3; but if the spreader is higher up, then the nut is reversed, and attached in this reversed position, as shown'in Fig. 5.

In applying the track'to hanging a door which slides into a pocket, it is necessary that the end of the track project into the pocket,

where it is inaccessible. In such cases in accordance with my invention the track is adjustably supported at two points. one at one end and the other near the middle of the track, which points are located over the doorway. The screws in the support can then be reached with a screw-driver, through the opening between the jambs. Any departure of the track from level by unequal settling of the building or otherwise can thus be readily corrected without the removal of any of the woodwork. The strength of a trackconstructed as hereinbefore described is such that the inner end is held rigid by the twosupports,located as stated, one near the middle and the other at its opposite end. y

The roller R which travels in the tubular track is spherical. Although made in two hemispherical parts, a b for reasons which will be noticed later, these two are firmly fastened toeach other so as to form a simple spherical roller. It is important that the parts he thus connected to prevent them from spreading and binding in the tube, as they might if-separate and independent of each other.

Sometimes theconditions under which the hanger i's used require that the tubular track be curved in a horizontal plane, as for example, when used in a telpher system-or for a door which travels along a curved wall. Un dcr such circumstances the outer-hemisphere of the roller will traverse a greater distance than theinner one, but-can revolve no faster; because-the two are rigidly "eon'nected. ,Usually when two wheels rigidly connected travel 'on a curved track there is-aslipping on one side, but in this system, the wheels being hemispherical, the difference of velocity can be compensated for so that both sides will roll without slipping... This'is because the door in swinging around the curve, tilts the hanger slightly and-bringsv the hemisphere on the in- -ner side of the curve'to bear on a part of its trackslightlytoward'the inner side of the surface where the periphery is smaller. This can be" assisted byshitting the slot in the curve. y

, The spherical roller has a ball-bearing jour-- nal constructed so that it is'adjustable for '3 1 ring rlat its uppe'r-end'which has a ball-groove wearr The hanger strap fl "is formed into a ,on its inner periphery. Each of the two hemi- "spherical parts aand b, of the roller, has a central conical boss (1." or b' on its fiat face, 135

formingia beveled. bearing surface, so that hhenthe two partsare brought together an annular groove with a V-shaped bottom is formed, in which the steel balls P are con- I tained.

the parts a, into and-through the other part b, the two parts being screwed together until the balls are-snugl-yiuclosed between thebeveled faces of-the-ir central bosses and the. .45, groove'in the ring of the, hanger strap. A

lock-nut 1 contained within acone shaped reoess inrthe-part 3), holds the twopart's together.

The roller with the adjustable ball-bearing groove is thus complete with but threegpieces.

v The hanger strap is formed into a, rod and threaded at its loweren'd. .On the;thr ead'are two nuts. The ,topo'f the doorD'ismortised,

and each mort-ise ,is covered by a plate K which has {a islotiniconn ecting with an opening-o. The door. can be detached from the hangerfstrazp if desired, bysimply slackening the upper n-ut,"and slippingthe strap to" the opening, throjfigh which -th;-e lower nut can strap the height ,or'lev el of the. dOOr. is readilyadjustable. This-simpleiconsliruetionthus 'servesgthet'wo purposesefldetaching and adis es- Fig.6 s ows; in perspeqtire an Fi 7 is longitudinal section a modification :bf the plate K in which the slot is lateral to th'e-door A screw projects from. the'centerof one of pass. By running the nuts upbr down on the ceased ticularl-y applicable to outside doors like car doors, 850., the object being to, provide for lateral as well as vertical adjustment of the door relatively to the track on the under side of the plate K. Along the sides of the slot n are brackets q q'on the plate, which hold of a hanging strap', a roller journaled thereto,

and a track formed of sheet metal bent into of a single 3 a circular tube with aslot on its underside,

the inner sides of the tube adjacent to the slot serving as ways for the roller, and the sheet metal adjacent to these ways being bent outwardly substantially at right angles, substantially as described.

3. Theeombination with a slotted track, of a collar partially encircling t-he track and having aboss thereon, of a reversible nut having a recess upon its one side to receive the boss upon .thecollar and provided with an ofiset-attaching flange," and a screw passing through the boss and taking into the nut, sub stantially as described.

4.. The combinationwith a slotted tubular track, ot' supports therefor --adjacent to the middle portion and one endof the track, and adjustable connections between the track and IOU the said supports, whereby the'position of the middle portion andthe said end of the track may be adjusted, .thereby efiecting the adjustment of the otherwise unsupported end thereof, substantially-as described.

'5. The combination with a't-raek consisting I ot sheet metal bent into avslotted tube and having its contiguous edges bent radially outward to give additional rigidity to the track,

IIO,

of adjustable supports therefor secured to the middle portion and one end of the track, whereby the otherwise unsupported end may be vertically adjusted simultaneously with the adjustment of the-said middle portion and supported-end, substantially as described.

6. In a traveling hanger, a spherical roller consisting of two hemispherical parts each of the parts having a centralboss upon its flat' surface, ,ahanger strap having a ring surrounding thebosses, balls contained between the conical faces of the bosses and the inner surface of the ring,--a bolt for drawing the parts of the roller together, and a lock nut engaging the bolt and contained in a recess in onset the parts of theroller, substantially 'as described.

7. The combination of a roller, consisting pf-two hemispherical parts with conical bearing surfaces projecting from their fiat sides {and provided with means for adjusting these parts together, a hanger strap formed into a ring at one end with a ball groove on its inthreaded stem passing through the slot in the terior periphery, and balls between said peplate, and a nut mounted on the stem, be-

ripheryand the'conicalsurfaces,substantially neath the plate, substantially as described.

as described. v Signed by me, .in New York city, this 23d 5 8. In atraveling hanger for doors, the comday of August, 1894.

to and provided with a slot and with shonl- JAMES MOOABE ders on its lower face adjacent to the slot, at In presence oftrack, a roller therefor, a hanger strap sus- THOMAS EWING, Jr,

10 pended from the said roller and having a SAMUEL W. BALCH. 

